For Chris Word ’08 M.S., drive does not end at the eighteenth hole. Guided by entrepreneurial ambition and a passion to create community for all aspiring golfers, he sees the game as more than a sport.

When disaster strikes and buildings collapse, first responders know that every minute matters. Searching for survivors is dangerous, demanding tools that can navigate narrow gaps and unstable debris. Imagine a future where the first rescue option isn’t sending a human into harm’s way—it’s sending a robot.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Notre Dame Alumni Association looks back at some of our outstanding Hispanic alumni who have dedicated their professional and personal lives towards being a force for good in the world.

Stephanie Gharakhanian ’07 is comfortable in liminal spaces. She’s always balanced two distinct cultural identities. A first-generation American, Gharakhanian is the daughter of an Iranian father and an Italian mother, which gave her empathy for others living between cultures. And that led her to El Paso, Texas, where she’s dedicated to supporting workers, immigrants, and refugees as they navigate those types of intermediate spaces.

Kathryn Turner ’95 spent her childhood roaming the acres of her family’s ranch inside Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. First, she rode on the same horse as her mom, Mary Kay Brady SMC ’64, as the family worked around the ranch, and then, by the time she was three, she was riding her own horse. As Turner got older, a sketchbook was her constant companion as she observed the changing seasons and wildlife at the Triangle X Ranch, where she is part of the fourth generation in the family business.

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the Notre Dame Alumni Association looks back at some of our outstanding Asian/Pacific Islander alumni who have dedicated their professional and personal lives towards being a force for good in the world.

As a former athlete, teacher, and current firefighter, Daara Jalili ’17, ’19 M.Ed. has always been committed to protecting, educating, and inspiring those around him. And while he’s done so in a variety of ways, community has always been at the heart of his efforts.

The Play Like a Champion Today sign that Notre Dame football players tap on their way out of the locker room is more than just a motivational slogan for a big game. It’s also an involved approach to athletics that Kristin Komyatte Sheehan ’90, ’93 M.A. and the Play Like a Champion Today Educational Series have inspired in parents, coaches, and young athletes for nearly 20 years.

In honor of Black History Month, this We Are ND story collection highlights just a handful of the many Black Alumni of Notre Dame who have used their talents and commitment to make a positive impact on the world.

It was never a part of the plan to work for NASA. But when life opens a door to the unknown, Annette Hasbrook ’85 says, give it a chance — after all, it is humanity’s destiny to explore.

One laugh is all it took. One laugh and Jimmy Brogan ’70 was hooked on comedy — a career where he finds his own happiness in bringing it to others.

Since 1991, the Notre Dame Club of Mid-Hudson Valley has welcomed local alumni, parents, and friends for an annual 11-hour bus trip to campus for a football game, open to all who love the Fighting Irish regardless of affiliation.

David Pais ’72 always knew he wanted to help people, but he couldn’t have imagined that his work fighting HIV/AIDS would reveal parts of himself and his faith in the way it did — forever altering his outlook on life and death.

To Kisa Matlin ’17, home is a feeling. Sometimes this feeling comes natural, and other times, it has to be created. Matlin seeks to cultivate home — in people, in place, and as a teacher.

When the Notre Dame Alumni Association launched its first Global Day of Service in 2023, it was with the belief that an international network of alumni, parents, and friends had the power to collectively make a positive impact the world over.

John Crowley '92 J.D. has spent his life trying to find a cure for the rare disease that afflicts his two children. 

As director of global gender issues at the White House, Stephanie Mulhern Ogorzalek '11 sees a direct connection between her work and her life as a working mom of two. 

 Now serving as the associate director of performance quality improvement and compliance at St. Vincent de Paul in Louisville, Kentucky, Greer Hannan '09 reflects on moments of “aliveness” that inspired her to serve those on the margins.